I just finished this book by Claire McGowan. It was a bit long and draggy at times, however I felt the end of the book made it worth all the plodding. Claire McGowan writes a suspenseful saga, and I found myself truly invested in the characters. It is recommended.

Fast-Paced Psychological Suspense

Suzi once had an exhilarating life in London, replete with a loving husband, successful career and a social life with lots of friends. But lately Nick has turned from loving to controlling—he's transplanted them both to a cottage in the middle of nowhere and dictates her every move. She finds herself pregnant, friendless, jobless and completely isolated, at least until Nora moves in to the cottage across the road. Suzi's hiding secrets she knows she shouldn't share with anyone, especially not a woman she barely knows—but she also needs help.

At first Nora seems capable, practical and strong, just the sort of woman who can be trusted. She's got secrets of her own, however, secrets that have stayed hidden since her childhood. And then there's Elle, the ex-concert pianist whose beauty has faded as thoroughly as her musical career. She spends most of her time as a prisoner in her beautiful home, doing her best to look attractive when her hard-working husband finally walks through the front door every night.

This is one of those addictive thrillers that I can't seem to put down once I start reading. Told from alternating viewpoints—primarily Suzi's, Elle's and Nora's—The Other Wife kept me guessing until the end. There was one key plot point I figured out very early on, but the novel had so many twists and turns I still couldn't see where it was heading. None of the main characters are especially sympathetic but for me this is a point in the novel's favor. Suzi's insecure chaotic, crisis-driven persona seems realistic and relatable—I also liked coming across a main character for once who isn't thrilled at the prospect of becoming a mother. The newly widowed Nora also held my interest. There's a dark, calculating side that makes her far from the dowdy, middle-aged victim her husband tried to mold her into. And Elle, who gave up everything for a man who deceived her, has a certain fragile glamour yet also a dated, naive, passive quality that gives the character a certain unresolved tension.

The novel is well plotted, with short, alternating chapters that shift in time so that the story unravels quickly—leaving a trail of tantalizing clues to follow. I also loved the bleak, slightly gothic setting and thought it was a great contrast to Suzi's fast-paced, liberated life in overcrowded London. My only criticisms are that the chapters told from the detective Alison's point of view didn't seem to fit all that well into the narrative. They are so brief and so far apart we don't get a sense of her and her presence seems almost unnecessary. And yet another part of me would have liked to have seen more of her character and more of a police angle to the story. I also think the ending had aspects that seemed a bit unlikely, but not to the point where it interfered with my enjoyment of the book. Overall, this is a gripping page-turner and I will definitely be reading McGowan's other novels.

Much thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Suzi’s husband Nick moved them to a cottage in the country months earlier, forcing Suzi to leave her job. Now she’s 6-months pregnant, completely isolated and trapped, due to the fact she doesn’t have her own vehicle. And Nick is getting more and more controlling by the day, having a say about everything from how she cleans the house to any piece of food she puts in her mouth. Suzi wants to keep her family together, but all she can think about is the man she’s still in love with, the man she’s been waiting to hear from for months.

And then out of the blue, a woman named Nora rents the cottage next to Suzi’s. Finally, Suzi doesn’t feel so alone. Suzi hopes that she can find a confidant in Nora, but what she doesn’t know is Nora already knows all of Suzi’s secrets and she is planning to use them against her…

The Other Wife by Claire McGowan is a twisty domestic thriller with a cast full of unlikable characters. We see through the perspectives of 3 women: Nora, Suzi and Elle. We know Nora and Suzi are neighbors, but we are trying to guess how this separate woman, Elle, fits into the mix. Unfortunately, I guessed how the 3 women were all interconnected, which removed the element of surprise. But at the end, there were more twists that I didn't see coming, which kept me hooked to the story. I still would recommend this one! 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Claire McGowan for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Isolated in the English country-side Suzi is mourning a friend, unsure of her new neighbor, and trying to please her demanding husband. Claire McGowan's novel The Other Wife is a great thriller following several women as they unweave the truth and decide who they can trust.

I received an advanced copy in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The author has titled each chapter with the character’s name whose point of view from which we will be reading. Did that sentence make sense? For example, if a chapter is titled, Suzi, we will be reading from the point of view of Suzi. I think this is a neat way to organize a book!

I knew from the synopsis that there must be a connection between the characters, but for the life of me I could not figure out what any of the connections were. I was confused for about 80% of the book just because the connections absolutely would not connect, but soon my confusion turned into intrigue.

At times the story moved slowly, but it gave me time to process what was happening.

McGowan is very detail oriented, which those readers who enjoy descriptions of settings, characters, and events will greatly appreciate. While I did not connect with or care for any of the characters in the book, it sometimes takes great talent to create characters who are unlikable and abrasive, and in the case of Claire McGowan, she shows immense talent in character development among other components.

And while I was baffled for the majority of the time I spent with this book, when things all started to come together, it was twist after twist, a symphony of surprises, and an ending that I had to sit with for a while just to process all that had happened.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy thrillers that are difficult to figure out. I would recommend it to readers who love detail such as the exact shade of a woman’s hair and how it falls on her shoulders, or how the snow settled on a quaint valley. Character development was also strong in The Other Wife as were the various setting descriptions.

Thank you for reading my review!

*Great thanks goes to the Publisher for presenting me with an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) via NetGalley*

I have read a book by this author before and loved it (What You Did by Claire McGowan) so I was really excited to be given an egalley ARC of her newest book through netgalley. The premise was similar to the previous read in that it is a psychological thriller but the storyline was very different, with different types of crimes being committed. And I genuinely liked it just as much, even though it is very different. 

The storyline goes back and forth in time (which is well signposted) and no-one is who they first appear to be. The major twists are hinted at but there is more to the twists that initially meet the eye. Two women meeting for the first time as neighbours in a remote area of the countryside. Neither really wants to live there but circumstances necessitate it - one is a recent widow and the other attempting to absolve herself for her secret betrayal of her husband. As the mysteries unfold it appears that perhaps their husbands are not the men they claim to be. 

I really enjoyed this book and stayed up far too late one evening to finish!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an egalley ARC. 

***set to autopublish on release date***

It is an ice cold winter and two women are holed up in small cottages next to each other. One is tasteful, snug and warm, the other is horrid and cold. So why are those women there and what is the role of their respective husbands?
We find out through the stories of Ella, Nora and Suzi. All three a bit strange; one is consumed by guild about something she did, so much she plays Cinderella for her husband all day instead of working on her own future; one is consumed by rage and one is simply devastated about what happened.
And then there are the men - Nick and Sean and Patrick. It's like a puzzle and the reader has to fit all pieces together.
None of the characters are very likable and it took me some time to find out what was happening and why, while the end of the book was a bit hurried, I think.
However, I enjoyed reading it; there was enough in the story to keep me interested.

Thanks to Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Sometimes change can solve problem. That was what her husband, Nick, intended before moving to the isolated place and brought Suzi with him. That was what Nora said too about her moving to next of them after her husband's death. Well, it turned out every one of them had their own secret.

You can see that this is a domestic thriller book. Probably you can guess by the synopsis that this book is full of lies and dirty secrets. Yes, that about right. Layers of it.

My first Claire McGowan book, and I find her writing style is light enough to read in one sitting. It's a bit slow and boring at first but it goes faster. The book got so many twists so it is the right book for someone who loves twists. But let's just say the twists are more winning in quantitative than in qualitative ways. Half of the twists can easily being figured out and plain to see.

Anyway, the author took the coercion victims view to the surface with this story. That's great, since it is so common nowadays and people start to make some campaigns all over the place. Seeing Suzy or Nora, being the victim without them realizing it, shows me how victims usually not aware of their real situation. Of course, it is not the first book that came up with the issues, many books before this had it. So it is not that special for a book, but still an interesting issue to draw. It's just a little dissapointing the author not taking the opportunity to view the angle when the victim is not just women but the men can also be one.

The characters itself had some flaws. Like Suzy and Nora who's done so much faults in the past, I saw them as the anti-hero for the story. Well, Nora is. Suzy is not a hero in this, a damsel in distress is more suitable word but I don't blame her when you're being stress and pregnant. The men in this story are so unbearable and deceitful, it could make someone has trust issues by reading this.

Yes, it has many twists, interesting issues, and deceitful groups of characters but some things don't add up in this book. Like how some wrongdoings in the medical ethic, got away with it and no one knew is hard for me to believe. I felt so much dissapointment to the doctors here. How could they!! Also, the ending, it's a little below my expectation but well, I'm still glad for the ending. Overall, I enjoyed the book thoroughly.

Thanks NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK.

3 of 5 stars

I did enjoy this book - I think I was perhaps just expecting a little too much following on from how much I loved 'What You Did' by Clare McGowan.

Nick and Suzi have moved to a remote location away from their bustling life in London. We very quickly become alerted that not all is as it seems to the outside world in their marriage. Suzi is isolated and practically held prisoner in the house as they are so far removed from the rest of the country and she has no money to go anywhere. Her loneliness seems to be about to end when a new neighbour moves in to their little street. But is Nora there because of more sinister reasons?

I did find myself wanting there to be a hidden twist in this book (And I've often read about how common and predictable twists are becoming) - I couldn't possibly tell you if it does but I will let you know that I did find myself wanting more from this book.

There were elements that were sadly unbelievable - Would someone really be able to gain easy access to a consultant's office and them become so easy to get on board? I also found the dog episode a little far fetched - surely it would bark?

I will read other Clare McGowan books as What you Did blew me away - sadly this one didn't quite hit the mark.

Not a "who done it" mystery, but still great as a twisty psychological thriller that keeps the reader fully engaged. For the most part, it did not feel forced or overdone, and the writing is pretty solid. I am often disappointed by mysteries, but was not with this one. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for sharing an advanced copy of this engaging title!

This was a domestic thriller with multiple points of view, deceit, and lies. It was a fast read that kept me engaged and I didn’t want to put it down.

I voluntarily read this ARC in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine


Loved this - had me hooked from the start.

Fast paced, wonderfully written - great story and character development

Kept me engrossed and couldn't put down - highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this copy to read pre-release in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book that had really caught my eye and I was delighted to get a copy to read. After seeing mixed reviews, I was dubious but I have to say, I really enjoyed the book.

Its twisty, turny, and yes, some parts may be predictable, most thrillers can be, but what interests me is ow the author makes these predictable moments different, and this book was great for that. I felt even though I could guess where some parts of the story were going, it still made me want to read to see how it actually played out.

I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the story and I found myself wanting to pick it up more and more as the story went on.

For me this book gets a solid 4 stars.

Suzi, Nora and Elle are all very different women but they all have guilty secrets which, if they but knew it, connect all three.
To do this book justice you need to lock the door, turn off the phone and, if you're planning to read it at night, book the next day off work because I guarantee you won't put it down until you've finished it. It's an absolute gem of a book with characters you will pity, some you will like and others who will have you spitting with rage. And no spoilers but I loved the end.

Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon

This is my first book that I have read of this author and I really enjoyed it. The characters may not have been on my favorite’s list but the twists and turns kept coming keeping the pages turning. I will admit to not being a fan of the ending of this book but I do look forward to reading more of Claire McGowan’s work.

This is a quick easy read. I found it to be predictable in places. I didn’t like any of the characters either.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Suzi doesn’t know how she got here. From a successful job and a happy marriage, to an isolated country cottage with a resentful husband. Struggling with the isolation, she is desperate to reach out, but mistakes have a way of repeating themselves... So when strange events start occurring in her home, her fear is immediate - is her past catching up with her? Or is there more to mysterious new neighbour Nora than meets the eye?

Now I apologise for the vagueness of that description but if I’m completely honest I wouldn’t really be able to do any better. Partly because there is very high risk of accidental spoilers, but also because this is perhaps one of the most difficult to describe books I’ve ever read. There are three narratives, all female, and especially at the beginning it’s very difficult to work out how everything connects and what is actually happening.

Now the big reveal of who everyone is and how they tied together was supposed to be a major twist in the book I think, but unfortunately it was quite easy to work out a lot earlier than intended. But that isn’t to say that knowing in advance ruined the twist, as from my perspective it was quite enjoyable to watch everything fall into place for both the reader and the characters.

This is a very difficult picture of you because obviously there is a limit on how much I can say without accidentally giving away some of the twists, as there were several along the way. What I will say is that some of the twists were better than others, and towards the end especially there was some things happening that were just far too improbable - suspension of disbelief is one thing, but at times this became almost absurd.

The characters as well were bit of a mixed bag. I didn’t really like any of them, I found them all to be quite irritating and a lot of their actions I just couldn’t understand. But this isn’t to say that it wasn’t an enjoyable book. It’s strange really, the plot was bizarre and the characters hard to relate to, And yet I still found myself quite gripped, And I guess in that sense it shows the true talent of the author to keep you intrigued in a story that by all rights you should of wanted to put down.

All in all, I’m not entirely sure what I think of this one. I read it very quickly, it only took me a day or two, and yet it wasn’t until the end when I realised that I actually enjoyed it. Because of the confusion, I have to say that I would definitely try another of her books, if only to clarify whether I’m actually a fan or not!


Disclaimer - I was provided with an advance copy of this novel by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way and all opinions are my own.

I adored this book and it had me absolutely hooked from the first sentence! What a fast and compelling read. Engrossing story told from three different perspectives that kept you on your toes the entire time! This got me out of my reading slump. Thank you Claire McGowan for writing such a fabulous book! Five huge stars!

So many twists! Nothing is as it seems. I couldn't put this down! Claire McGowan has crafted a near perfect thriller and deftly keeps the pace with multiple narrators. You can feel the snowy English countryside closing in as the tension grows. Such a satisfying novel, right down to the very last line! This the first novel I've read by Claire McGowan, but I certainly look forward to reading more. So few thrillers deliver- this one does!

The Other Wife was definitely an interesting read. Most of the twists were very predictable, but it was still very fun (if by the numbers). I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to read these kind of thriller books, especially if you enjoy some of the books that have come out in recent years told by alternating points of view and with unreliable narrators. At times it feels very derivative of some of the popular books of this style (such as Girl on the Train), but in a way that kept it enjoyable and kept me reading.

What I especially appreciated in this novel was the realism in the portrayal of the abusive relationship that Suzi was in. Her husband's slow escalation and use of psychological abuse (coercive control) was very real, but what I really appreciated was that Suzi herself was not a saint. This is often lacking in stories of abuse, which portray the victim as a saint rather than a real person who makes real mistakes but still does not deserve this behavior. I found Nora to be slightly less realistic but I still appreciated the progression of her character and was glad that both women wised up about the men they were with.

Overall this is a simple book that, while not groundbreaking, is very entertaining.